[Status of detecting bronchial cancer in the Newbrandenburg district]

All 489 cases of bronchogenic carcinoma reported during the years 1982 and 1983 in the county of Neubrandenburg were analysed and compared with an analogous examination of the period from 1962 to 1969. In spite of a considerable shortening of delay between first symptoms and final diagnosis there was a shift to a greater proportion of more advanced tumor stages III and IV. Consequently, the rate of patients in whom resection could be performed, decreased. In general, patients detected by mass x-ray examinations are in an earlier stage. The analysis of clinical symptoms showed that especially in cases with obstructive pneumonia a careful examination is mandatory to early diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma with central localization.